


When the moon falls

by TaniaHylian



Category: Little Witch Academia, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Genre: AU, Anju and Kafei quest, Charoix, Diakko (implied), F/F, Fantasy, Majora's Mask, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27657320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaniaHylian/pseuds/TaniaHylian
Summary: Akko wasn’t the smartest girl. That much was clear even before she got lost in Arcturus forest, fell down a bottomless pit and somehow ended up… here. Where’s here, you say? This strange land called Termina, where everyone looks like people Akko knew back in Luna nova but… there was something not quite right about them. Oh! And also Croix is missing, her wedding is in three days and the moon is falling too!This will be an AU taking place in Majora's Mask world. But don't worry if you haven't played the game; it's not really necessary to understand this story.
Relationships: Ursula Callistis | Chariot du Nord/Croix Meridies
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

****

**Prologue.**

I was very young when I met her, probably six or seven years old. I was in the small park to the south of town, where a portion of a river flows next to a seemingly abandoned cottage.

I was playing with a stick, pretending it was a magic wand. And in a world so full of strange things, I really wouldn’t have been surprised if magic truly existed, or if, somehow, the stick I found laying around was the most powerful magical object in existence. Maybe it was because, just when I was thinking of how this game would be a lot more fun if I had someone to play with, she appeared.

In a town so small, there were really not that many kids my age, and the few I knew deemed me weird and wouldn’t usually play with me. But… if I was weird, Croix was even weirder. She was only a year older than me, but was always too mature for her age; always with glasses on top of her nose, with a book in her hands, and an expression so unfriendly it was enough to keep most kids away. But alas, I wasn’t like most kids.

So that day when I saw her coming out of the abandoned cottage carrying a very strange-looking contraption, I didn’t hesitate to greet her cheerfully and ask what she was doing. She told me to go away, of course, but I said this was a public park, so I’d stay. She just sighed and told me that if I got injured it’d be my fault.

Turns out, she had made some sort of flying machine. It had what appeared to be a fan on top of it, and it was shaped like a wingless bird. It did manage to fly a few feet off the ground, and it was really the most wonderful thing I’d ever seen, but… then it came crashing down and exploded.

I helped Croix hide everything inside the cottage before someone came to investigate the commotion, and that’s when I saw the place was full of mechanical junk and prototypes for various machines. So this is what the reclusive genius did in her free time, huh? I couldn’t say I disapproved.

“Hey, I’m Chariot.” I said, smiling and giving her my hand to take, but she ignored it.

“Croix.” She simply answered.

“Let’s be friends!”

I don’t exactly remember what answer she gave me back then. Probably just stayed silent, knowing her. But after that day I never left her side for one minute. I still don’t know why she allowed it, to be honest, but… maybe she was just as lonely as me. Maybe she also desperately needed someone who accepted her for who she was, someone who wouldn’t judge her. And I needed that too.

Also… living at the only inn in town has some perks. Like getting to keep whatever things guests forget in their rooms. And there were tons of strange and interesting things to be found! Gorons usually left a few explosives; a fat man once left a weird thing that had an extendable chain with a metallic arrowhead on its tip. People also often left various weapons, or money. And yes, it all went to Croix, who used it to craft her inventions.

In exchange, I was the first one to see them when they were ready and, if I liked them a lot, Croix would sometimes give them to me. We also often played just like children do; hiding and waiting for the other to find us, or chasing each other, throwing and catching balls… at that kid’s stuff.

Eventually, Croix grew up and… one day her parents found out about her inventions and threw all her stuff away. I still remember how angry she was; how she was crying and crying with no consolation; how her body trembled with impotence and rage as I held her close… And how she kissed me as thanks for staying with her and supporting her.

Her relationship with her parents was never the same after that, and she even moved out eventually, renting a tiny room on top of the Curiosity Shop. I asked her why she didn’t go back to her old cottage, but she said it’d be too obvious, and she didn’t want her parents to know where she lived. I also asked Miss Finnelan if I could invite Croix to live at the Inn, but… she never really liked my friend, and said it’d be improper now that we were dating.

And then, about three years later… came the question.

She invited me to a concert that was going to take place at the Time Festival, under the clock tower. There was this famous band playing various songs, and they were really good too! Especially the singer, Marjolaine; she was absolutely spectacular! But the real surprise came when, after the last song ended and people were preparing to leave, Croix went to the stage and grabbed the microphone.

“What are you doing?” I mouthed, but she just gave me a mischievous smile.

“Chariot du Nord. I still remember the day we met; how you were so stubborn about not leaving my side, and how you asked me to be your friend.” She smiled sweetly at me and I returned a nervous smile, conscious of everyone’s gazes directed at me. “True to your word, you have stuck with me despite everything, and I’ll admit… I’ve gotten quite fond of you.” She then paused as she got something out of her pocket. A small box. “I know this might seem soon, perhaps. I mean, we’re still quite young, but… I know that there’s no one I’d like to spend the rest of my life with except you. I love you, Chariot. But… I can’t help wanting even more.” I already knew were this was going, and yet my heart still started doing summersaults inside my chest and my eyes started tearing up in happiness when she went down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

I don’t think I gave a coherent answer. I was too overwhelmed! I could just jump towards her, kneeling down as I kiss her and hugged her and cried. It was messy, but… sometimes emotions are too strong to be expressed in a controlled, dignified manner. And in that moment, I was the happiest woman alive.

It’s been almost two years since then. We decided not to marry right away, but instead try to know each other more, explore a bit more all the aspects of romance before fully committing, but… truth to be told, what really made us take so long to marry was our families.

Croix is the daughter of the Major and, as such, there’s certain things expected of her. Mainly, to not marry a random orphan the Inn owner took in as a gesture of goodwill who barely has a penny to her name.

That’s right. The little money I have, I’ve earned it thanks to my hard work at the inn. When I was a child they paid me with clothes, and a bed and education, but since I became eighteen, I got a small salary and whatever tips the clients leave. But, even though I’ve been earning money for about seven years now, my savings are really nothing impressive.

And let’s just say Miss Finnelan, the current manager of the inn, didn’t exactly approve of my marriage with Croix either. Sure, her opinion isn’t as decisive as the Major’s (who is literally the only one with the legal power to marry us), but she was still a pain to deal with. She often said that if Croix had abandoned her parents so easily, I couldn’t expect her to stick with me after we got married. And no matter how much I protested and told her that Croix had already been an adult when she moved out, she wouldn’t listen. More so, she’d usually agree with the Major that Croix needed to marry someone of her own social status.

It wasn’t until we discovered that Holbrooke, or Granny, as I like to call her, had decided to leave the inn to me instead of Finnelan that everyone finally shut their damn mouth. Sure, Holbrooke had no heirs of her own, but we all assumed she would leave it to the old hag. Guess not. And thankfully she’d done this little change to her testament before the doctor declared her mentally ill and unable to make big decisions.

Only then did the Major agreed to marry me and Croix, and we spent months and months planning the celebration. We’d visit the finest bakeries to find the best cake to buy. We contacted Marjolaine and her band, and asked them to play on our wedding. We had the best tailor in town make my gown and Croix’s suit… and so on. Her parents even got involved, much to Croix’s protests, and ended up buying us a house to the east of town for us to live… although they wouldn’t give us the keys until after the ceremony.

Finally we were together and we were happy and it seemed everything was going to be fine…

And then the moon started falling.

It started with people commenting that it looked bigger than before, but everyone dismissing it as an optical illusion. Then it looked really, _really_ , close and the Astronomer confirmed it was getting closer. Still, no one believed it was something serious.

And by that time, Croix disappeared. It was just after we bought our wedding masks; like any other day, we spent the day shopping and said goodbye with a passionate kiss and hug before going to our respective homes. The next day I went to meet her at the plaza, like we’d agreed, but she never came, even if I waited for hours and hours. I went to her apartment, but no one answered, and when I asked around, no one had seen her.

Days and even weeks passed and there is still no sign of Croix. I even fear that something terrible might have happened to her, but… I’m determined to find her. I won’t give up. Even if now the moon is closer than it’s ever been; even if it has a horrid malicious face adorning it, which can’t be a good sign… I’ll wait for my beloved.

Some say it’s hopeless, that she probably got cold feet and isn’t going to come back. My friend Diana even offered to let me stay with her at the ranch, away from the town and the falling moon, but… I know Croix too well. I know that she loves me and would never just leave me without even saying a word.

And I will wait and wait for her until the day of our wedding. I’ll be here even when the moon falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a new fic I've been writng for quite some time, but only now managed to finish. I'll be uploading a chapter every week (there'll be five chapters in total), so give this a follow if you don't want to miss any updates. Also leave a review or favorite if you liked it; it really helps.
> 
> If you want to see the cover art in full size you can also look at my Tumblr or Instagram; I have the user naem Tania Hylian in both. Thanks for reading and see you next week!
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.


	2. Dawn of the first day – 72 hours remain.

**Dawn of the first day – 72 hours remain.**

Akko wasn’t the smartest girl. That much was clear even before she got lost in Arcturus forest, fell down a bottomless pit and somehow ended up… here. Where’s here, you say? This strange land called Termina, where everyone looks like people Akko knew back in Luna nova but… there was something not quite right about them.

For example Diana wasn’t the heir of the prestigious Cavendish family, or even knew how to do magic for that matter. Instead, she was the owner of Romani Ranch. And she also had a little sister, weirdly named Romani, after the ranch. Lotte was the singer of some famous music group, but she had lost her voice. Sucy had a strange research lab in the ocean, but no, she wasn’t a witch either. The only witches were Nelson and Lukic actually, and, unlike real life, they were… alright. Lukic owned a potion shop and Nelson a cruisier, both of them in the swamp. And yes, that was extremely bizarre.

She’d found Jasminka stuck in the North Mountain, unsurprisingly asking for food. Constanze was also there, but working as a blacksmith, even though Amanda owned the place…

To sum it up, everything was twisted. But the most twisted thing of all? There was this big, BIG moon in the sky, with a very terrifying face on it, and it was… yeah, it was falling down. It would fall down in three days, actually. She’d seen it already. Multiple times. And yet, every time, just before the moon would crash and kill everyone, she’d be sent back to the dawn of the first day, only to repeat the cycle again. Yep! She was stuck in a seemingly endless loop unless she, somehow, managed to stop the moon from falling.

Thankfully she had her Shiny Rod with her somehow, or else the task would be pretty much impossible. And she was also able to use magic with barely any restriction; the metamorphosis spell being particularly useful. But… even with all the time in the world, she had barely slept at all in the past few days. Even with almost limitless magic she was barely able to stay standing and so, she decided to take a three-day break to just rest and forget about the world ending.

But first, she needed some place to sleep, and so, naturally, she went to the only Inn first thing in the morning. Upon arriving, the first thing she saw was… Ursula! Ursula-sensei was the one behind the counter! Except she wasn’t wearing glasses and her hair was red and messy. Still, she was happy to see a friendly face.

“Hi!” She said, pretty much biting her own tongue in order to not say her teacher’s name.

“Oh! Good morning.” She answered with a characteristic kind smile that was already making Akko feel at home. “Do you… have a reservation?”

“Uhhhh… yes?” She answered because she really, _really_ wanted to sleep, and she needed a room _desperately_ for that.

“Oh.” Ursula looked instantly relieved upon hearing her answer. “Good, because we don’t have any rooms available right now. Can I ask for your name?”

“Uhm…” Should she try to make up a name? Or just give her real name and hope it had a reservation somehow? Oh, fuck it! She could just reverse time again if she screwed up. “Akko… Kagari Atsuko. I mean… Atsuko Kagari.” The Inn owner (?) then scanned the list for a moment before looking confusedly at her.

“Uh… I do have an Atsuko here.” At this, Akko’s heart swelled with hope. “But… she’s supposed to be a Goron.”

Gorons were a weird humanoid species that inhabited the Snowy Mountains. Big, round and literally made of rocks. There’s no way she could pass for one! Unless…

“Oh! I _am_ a Goron. I just use magic to disguise myself as human.” She said. “ _Metamorphie fasciesse!_ ” Instantly, she transformed herself into one of those creatures and smiled nervously. “See?”

“Ah! I see. That makes sense.” Yeah, no, it really didn’t, but thankfully most people in this world didn’t have much knowledge of how magic worked. “Here, take the key to your room. Enjoy your visit!”

“Thanks!” She smiled, cancelled the metamorphosis spell and then went off to climb the stairs… only to stop for a moment when she saw the post man coming in. Now, by itself this wouldn’t be so weird, except if you considered he was one of the ogres at Luna Nova, but… she’d only ever seen him fetching and leaving letters at the mail boxes, not... in person.

Without thinking, Akko quickly darted to the stairs and hid behind the rail, trying to hear what was being said, despite knowing eavesdropping was kinda rude, but… she was curious about the person her favorite teacher was in this universe.

“Mail.” The postman said, handing Ursula a letter. She took it from his hands then and read who’d sent it. The postman was then about to turn around and leave, when he was promptly stopped by the redhead.

“Wait!” The ogre turned around and grunted in response. “Where did you get this letter?”

“The mailbox.”

“That’s not what I meant! Which mailbox?” She seemed pretty frantic about it too, like it was vital for her to know that information.

“A mailbox.” He only said before turning around and leaving.

“That’s not what I meant…” She sighed, defeated, and sat down to read the letter.

After few minutes like this, Akko was about to go to her room, and maybe try to sneak a peek on the letter later, but… then Finnelan appeared behind the counter and saw her reading, a scowl forming in her face.

“What’s that?” The strict teacher- uh… inn owner (?) asked.

“Oh!” Ursula startled a bit and quickly folded the letter. “Nothing! Just…” She trailed off and looked at the piece of paper between her hands with a confused expression. “Croix wrote.”

“Finally! After a whole month of silence! Who does she think she is?” Finnelan answered angrily, looking at the letter as if it had personally offended her. “Where is she?”

“I… I don’t know.” Ursula deflated. “She just said that she never meant to disappear. That she had a problem and has been trying to solve it in order to come back… She promised she’ll be here before the festival.”

“And you believed that?” Finnelan scoffed. “I thought that being the daughter of the Major, Croix would be more honorable than that. But really, her silly ‘inventions’ should have been more than enough indication of how much of a disgrace she truly is. She’s not coming back, Chariot, and the sooner you accept it, the better.”

Finnelan then left and Chariot sank down on her chair with a miserable expression on her face.

Now, Akko _wanted_ to sleep. That was the whole point of coming here in the first place! But… she couldn’t just leave. Not while knowing her favorite professor was in distress because her _other_ favorite professor was missing, and possibly in trouble! She had to do something!

So, slowly, she got off of her hiding spot and walked towards Chariot, who was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t see her until Akko spoke.

“Uhm… H-hi!” She said, smiling nervously.

“Oh! Uhm… is everything alright? Do you need something?” She tried to put her best customer-service smile, but her eyes were still quite sad.

“No, no, I just… I couldn’t help overhearing…” She trailed off and look to the side, a little bit ashamed. “I know Croix, you know? I think she’s great and… If I can help you find her somehow I’d be happy to!” She finished with a hesitant smile, waiting for Chariot’s answer.

“Oh… you know her? I don’t remember her mentioning you.”

“We aren’t close or anything, but… she taught me a thing or two. Even if she also said I was a fool for chasing after an unachievable dream…”

“That does sound like Croix.” Chariot laughed, with genuine joy this time. “But… are you sure you want to help me? I really wouldn’t want to bother you with my problems.”

“No, no, it’s fine! Really! I _want_ to help.”

“Alright, if you insist…” Chariot thought for moment before nodding and addressing Akko with a determined expression on her face. “I have an idea. Meet me in the kitchen at midnight. We’ll talk then.”

“Okay!” Akko nodded, smiling cheerfully and then went off to the town.

Akko knew that Ursula had a plan, but she still felt like she needed to investigate a little herself, maybe ask around town to see if anyone knew anything about Croix. From what she had overheard, in this universe Croix was the Mayor’s daughter, right? So she might as well pay him a visit. That was what had brought her here; to the Major’s office at the eastern part of the clock town. And it was… _full_.

Yep, absolutely full of people. Some of them workers that she’d seen preparing the carnival, some businessmen, the leader of the Traveling Company of Artists (Andrew, weirdly enough), and many, many guards. And they were discussing whether the moon would fall and if they should hold the festival nonetheless or evacuate the city instead. The Major, a short man with wild purple hair and mustache was just staring at everyone, unable to even get a word in, despite trying to.

Yeah… she figured she wouldn’t have any luck speaking to the Mayor. But… maybe someone else in here could help? She’d seen another door to the right before entering his office. Hopefully there would be someone who could help her.

Upon entering she saw two couches, and in one of them sat a tall chubby woman with light pink hair dressed in an equally pink silk dress that was probably very expensive. She didn’t look much like Croix, to be honest, but she could easily picture her and the Mayor giving birth to someone like her, so she wondered if she was Croix’s mother. She decided to ask.

“Hi.” She said as she approached her. “Uhm… I’m-”

“No, don’t tell me!” The woman interrupted with a big smile on her face. “You’re the expert, aren’t you? The one I hired to search for my daughter.”

“Well, I’m searching for Croix…”

“You already know the details? Excellent, just as I expected from a professional.”

“Uhm… sure.” Akko said, faking a smile. “So… When was the last time you saw your daughter?”

“Oh, I honestly can’t remember.” She answered. “She rarely visited us after she moved out. We didn’t have the best of relationships, you see.”

“Oh. Well… Do you have any idea where she could be now?”

“Not really.” She sighed. “You think that as the chief of the post office and owner of the only bar in town I’d know some rumors, but it seems no one has seen Croix in almost a full month!”

“That’s so weird!” Akko exclaimed. “Especially because her wedding is in three days, right?”

“Precisely why I need you to find her before then.” Croix’s mother responded. “She fought for years to marry that foolish girl, so there’s no way she got cold feet! Something terrible must have happened to my baby in order to keep her away from her fiancé!”

Akko gulped. The thought of something terrible happening to Croix sure wasn’t a pleasant one. But… at least she’d written a letter to Ursula, right? That must mean she was okay-ish?

“You’d be better off asking Chariot, who is her fiancée and the future owner of the inn.” The woman suggested. “Or maybe Diana, the owner of Romani ranch. Croix used to help her around sometimes, giving her new inventions.” She then paused, thinking. “Or the owner of the Curiosity Shop. He’s her landlord.”

“I see. Thank you for your time, Madame… uh…” Akko paused, realizing she didn’t know her name.

“Aroma.” She supplied.

“Right. It was a pleasure meeting you, Madame Aroma.”

“The pleasure was mine. But I do expect you to give me results before the festival, understood? It should be easy for a professional like you.”

“Yeah, sure. Don’t worry, leave it to me.” And with another nervous smile, Akko was out.

She spent the rest of the day asking around to see if anyone knew where Croix was, but when she came out short, she decided to blow up the rock blocking the way to Romani ranch _again_ and asking Diana if she had seen Croix lately. She doubted she’d find anything, sure, but… if she really was friends with Croix maybe she’d have a clue.

“Hey kid.” She greeted Romani, or mini-Dia as she liked to call her.

“Oh? Who are you?” The kid stopped her bow-practicing-session to look at her with those innocent big blue eyes. “Actually, doesn’t matter. I’mma call you bunny because you remind me of one.” Akko just rolled her eyes, having heard that at least three times already.

“Is your big sister here? I need to ask her something.”

“Oh? Sure, she’s milking the cows!” She pointed to the barn. “But after you talk to her can you come out? I have something to ask you.”

“Sure! I’ll be right back.” Akko said before heading towards the barn. Yeah… she already knew what she’d ask. She’d ask if she’d ever used a bow before and if she’d be willing to help her combat the aliens that would come at night. She’d already helped her two times, and… as tempting as it was to do so a third time, because she really didn’t want Romani to be kidnapped by aliens… she doubted she’d have the time or energy to meet Chariot at midnight in the Inn’s kitchen and come back to combat aliens before 2 am. And besides, in less than three days they would go back to the dawn of the first day, so… no biggy, right?

At least that’s what she tried to tell herself every time she had to stop herself from helping someone she’d already helped in favor of finishing her main quest first. She’d have three very busy days before actually confronting that stupid kid with the mask, that’s for sure.

But that was a thought for the future. For now, she had to talk to Diana.

“Uhm… Hi.” Akko said as she opened the door and saw the blonde sitting there, milking a cow. Gosh, she looked so beautiful! Even with her hair disheveled and full of straw, and her work dress torn and dirty, unlike the usually clean and proper aristocrat Akko knew. Diana was always a sight to behold.

“Oh?” Diana startled and quickly got up, dusting off her clothes and addressing her in a formal manner. “Good afternoon. Are you here to buy milk?”

“Not today, sorry.” Akko said, even if she had already tasted the milk and knew it to be absolutely delicious. “I’m actually a…” What had Madame Aroma called her? “A professional… uh… a professional investigator. I’m here to ask if you know anything about Croix?”

“Oh.” Diana sighed and sat down again, wearing a sad, but mostly tired, expression on her face. “It’s been almost a month, hasn’t it?” It seemed like she was talking to herself more than to Akko. “And yet… I haven’t heard a thing from her.”

“I see…” Akko said, deflated. “I just… someone told me you might know something.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard the rumors too. _Some people_ think Croix is hiding here because she’s got cold feet.” She kept talking, wearing an almost angry expression on her face.

“And… Why would they think that?”

“She used to come here a lot, especially after mom died, and she tried to help me in any way she could.” She then got up and went to the other cow, which had some weird tubes on her udders. “See this? She made it to help me extract the milk faster, and it’s only thanks to her that I’ve been able to keep this place running on my own.” She then turned and looked directly at Akko’s eyes. “She always said I was too smart to be here, and even offered to help me go somewhere else to study, but I refused. The Cavendish have owned this ranch for generations, and I’m not going to abandon it… or my sister.”

Diana paused, looking down at the straw laying on the ground almost as if she was mad at it, but Akko just kept staring at her with questioning eyes, not quite understanding what she was trying to say.

“Chariot wasn’t like that.” Diana finally continued with a sigh. “She also praised me for being smart, sure, but she mostly encouraged me to do my best with what I had. And when mom died… she stayed here for quite some time, tending to me and my sister and lending me a shoulder to cry on.” She frowned, obviously doing her best not to get too emotional about those memories.

“So you see… Croix may have been my friend. But Chariot? I consider her family. So if Croix had actually tried to run away from Chariot and betray her trust, I wouldn’t forgive her, much less let her hide here.” She then finished with an ice-cold glare directed to the milk-extracting thing. Akko actually gulped, glad Diana wasn’t mad at _her_ ; just at the stupid rumors she’d heard.

“Alright. I believe you.” Akko answered with a kind smile. “And don’t worry, I’ll find Croix before the wedding takes place, you’ll see!”

“I wish you good luck.” Diana said in a more amicable tone. “May the Goddess of Time protect you.”

Akko returned to the Inn just before midnight, even with the help of Shooting Star… which was a really quick horse in this universe, not a broom. Sure, she could have used a teleportation spell, but she had to be careful with her magic. She… still couldn’t control it very well. She’d have to work on that.

But for now, here she was; waiting for Chariot at the Inn’s kitchen. And… was that a cockroach she spotted? Ew. She turned around, trying not to think about it, when she saw Chariot arrive.

“Oh! Hey, Ursula sens- Uh… I mean. Chariot.” She corrected herself in time.

“Atsuko, right?”

“Just call me Akko.” She smiled.

“Alright… Akko.” Chariot started speaking. “I know this is a big favor to ask of you, but it would really mean a lot to me if you could do it.”

“Don’t worry! Just tell me what to do. I already promised I’d help you find Croix.”

“Okay…” She sighed before extracting a small red envelope from her pocket. “This is a letter I wrote for Croix. Please place it in a mailbox before morning. After the mailman collects it I need you to follow him and see where Croix is. Hopefully then you can speak to her and ask her what’s wrong.”

“Alright! Sounds like a good plan.” Akko answered cheerfully as she took the letter from Ursula. “And don’t worry, I’ll find her. I promise, okay? You’ll see! I’m sure everything will be okay tomorrow.” At this, Chariot smiled tiredly at her.

“I hope you’re right Akko. I really hope you are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the first proper chapter! Hope you all liked it and please leave a comment/kudos if you did, it really helps a lot. Thanks for reading and see you next week!
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.


	3. Dawn of the second day – 48 hours remain.

**Dawn of the second day – 48 hours remain.**

_Dear Croix:_

_I can’t possibly begin to describe how much I’ve missed you, or how my heart aches with pain every time I wonder if something terrible has happened to you. At least your letter has helped to soothe some of my fears._

_I know you said that you can’t come yet, and that you’d try to be here before the festival, or at least the day of our wedding. But Croix… have you seen the sky? The moon is supposed to fall pretty soon. Some say by the dawn of the day after the festival, or maybe even sooner. Some say we should run away, find a refuge or something, but… Is it really worth it, I wonder? If the moon really falls, will anyone be able to survive? If you were here you could probably answer all my questions. Maybe we’d run together somewhere where we’ll be safe. Or maybe you’d just hug me and say it’s going to be alright. Because my love, I wouldn’t mind dying if I at least died in your arms._

_So, please, I beg you: come back. I need you. And I’m not going anywhere without you._

_PS: There’s this girl named Akko. She’s wearing dark blue robes and a pointy hat. She said she’d help me find you. You can trust her._

Akko folded the letter once more and put it back inside the envelope. She knew it was rude to read other people’s letters without their consent, but… yeah. She couldn’t resist. Plus, soon she’d go back to her own dimension (hopefully), so really, what did it matter? And besides, after reading that letter she was even more determined to help her teachers. She’d reunite them before the moon fell or her name wasn’t Atsuko Kagari!

And with that in mind, she put the letter inside the mailbox and waited patiently for the mailman to arrive.

She yawned. She had only gotten six hours of sleep last night, which was a lot considering she hadn’t slept at all in quite some time, but… she still felt like she needed to sleep through three days straight. But first… she had a mission to complete.

As she waited, she saw the people pass by. The “bomber” kids were running around as always, for once. She didn’t particularly like them because apparently they weren’t very fond of witches, but at least now she knew their secret code and was able to get to the observatory without them getting on her way. They also knew a lot of rumors so… yeah, they’d been useful a couple of times.

Aside from them, however, there were not many people around. Probably because of the rain. It always rained on the second day. All. Day. Long. It was refreshing, sure, and the smell of wet earth felt calming, but… rain isn’t so fun when you’re running around the whole region soaked to the toe and trying to rescue four giant deities. Or when you’re standing just outside the Inn for two hours trying not to get any rain on you… which was difficult because the wind was blowing everywhere, so quite a few droplets managed to make it under the roof. Ugh. She wished she knew a warming spell. She was already starting to shiver from the cold.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she heard the familiar sound of his hurried steps, even if they were muffled thanks to the rain. Despite him seemingly always being in a hurry, he actually moved quite slowly for Akko’s taste. She wished he could just hurry up and pick up the mail so she could follow him to Croix.

And so, after he took the letter out of the mailbox, the chase began. Akko followed him literally through the entire town… getting completely soaked in the process. And he didn’t seem to notice! Thankfully. Still, she should probably use an invisibility spell just in case. She didn’t want Croix to see her and run or something! But she’d wait until the mailman stopped getting letters out of the mailboxes and instead started leaving them on people’s houses.

Except… there was a small inconvenience on her plans, and she realized too late once she saw the mailman approaching the post office. And when she followed him inside, her suspicions were confirmed as her eyes landed on the schedule printed on the wall; collecting was done in the morning and… distribution on the afternoon. Ugh!

So, after waiting outside in the cold rain for another two hours, she finally used an invisibility spell and started following the mailman again. Thankfully, this time he didn’t run across the entire town! He only had one letter to deliver, after all. So she flowed him though the west section of town towards the south, where the festival was being prepared. But he kept running past it, avoiding the carpenters as they passed by with materials for constructing the stands needed for the festival. Akko was quite surprised they were still so dedicated to their work when there was a literal giant moon with red eyes and a crazy smile above their heads! If _she_ knew she was going to die soon she wouldn’t spend her last days working that’s for sure! But hey, she was in no position to tell them what to do with their lives, right?

She just wished the plaza wasn’t so crowded with workers when they couldn’t see her. She almost got hit on the face with construction materials more than a couple of times while she walked through! And then… then the mailman took a turn and climbed a small flight of stairs towards the… laundry? At least that was what her map called it; it was a small section of town that only had a tree and a portion of river that apparently was used by the locals to wash their clothes. She’d been there a couple of times already but hadn’t seen anything unusual. And certainly not a _house!_

Except, when the mailman rang the metal bell that was at the shore of the river, a door opened on the other side and a small boy (?) with purple hair and a cream-colored poncho, wearing what looked like Pikachu mask, came out of it to retrieve the mail. She figured that’s where Croix was hiding at the moment and quickly rushed towards it, making sure not to touch the boy in the process, before quietly opening the door and getting in.

She was immediately presented by a very narrow corridor that soon gave a turn to the right and ended up in… huh. It was a small room resembling of a cabin more than an actual house. It only had a _very_ small mattress, fit for a young kid, and two old desks; one completely covered by piles and piles of books and the other one… yeah, it also had books but it had a pen, an ink recipient and a few wrinkled papers. She decided to take a quick look at one of them.

_Dear Chariot:_

_I’m sorry that I disappeared and that I hadn’t contacted you sooner. I was scared. Still am. Not because of the moon, mind you, but… Gosh, I just feel so powerless! I don’t know what to do! And you know how I hate that feeling._

_I just… something happened. I don’t want to worry you. It’s nothing too dangerous, but I can’t go to you yet. I need to find a solution first and I’ve been working tirelessly to do it. But this is a lot more complicated than I thought. And to top all that I lost something very important and…_

The letter went on, but the words were unintelligible in the wrinkled paper; more so because some of the ink had been smudged all over the page. Still, it seemed like her fears were correct; Croix was in some sort of trouble and that’s why she couldn’t go back to Chariot yet, but… what kind of trouble? And… would she be able to help her?

“Hey! What are you doing here?!” Akko startled and let go of the letter, turning to see the boy from before staring at her. Or at least she _assumed_ he was staring at her. It was difficult to tell with that mask.

“Oh! Uhm… I-I… I’m looking for Croix?” She smiled nervously. The kid seemed to eye her up and down before finally speaking again.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh! I’m Kagari At- Uh… Atsuko Kagari. Nice to meet you! You can call me Akko.” She smiled and tended him her hand to take for he ignored it.

“Akko… Yes. Chariot mentioned you in her letter.”

“It’s rude to read other people’s letters, you know?” She scolded him, but the boy just sighed.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Oh? Uhm… sure!”

At this, the kid then took off the mask and… he, or rather _she_ , had Croix’s face??? It was rounder than her professor’s, sure, and her hair was all messy, and she didn’t have her ‘cool’ outfit with the red cape, but… yeah, it looked like this kid was Croix. But… she was a _child_ nonetheless!

“I’m Croix.” She said, confirming what Akko had already observed.

“B-but… but… You’re a kid!”

“Yes, I know.” She sighed, a tired and defeated expression on her face. “A weird imp wearing a scary mask turned me into this. And to top it all, when I was trying to find a way to reverse the spell I lost my wedding mask!”

“You… _lost_ it?” Akko chuckled. “Glad to know I’m not the only distracted one around here.”

“It wasn’t like that!” She pretty much snarled. “I was passing through the northern gate and suddenly this thief appeared and took away my bag with the mask!”

“Oh. That’s unfortunate.”

“You think?” She pretty much snarled. “So… yeah, I obviously can’t show up to my wedding with the body of a child and without my mask, and I’m trying to solve that before the festival.”

“Why not tell Chariot though? I’m sure she’d be more than happy to help you! She’s worried sick about you!”

“Yeah, the thought did cross my mind, but this is a rather dangerous quest. If I failed I could end up having to endure a fate worse than death and I don’t want her to suffer the same.” She then looked to the side, appalled.

“Uh… Okay? I can help you if you want. I’m a witch, you know? I don’t know how to break your curse, but I do know a couple of things about magic.” Sure, she didn’t want to go on yet _another_ crazy adventure, but… she had promised Chariot she’d find Croix, and she wasn’t going to let them down!

“I… we’ll see.” She answered hesitantly. “For now… can you give this to Chariot?” She then said as she handed her a bracelet made out of red stony cubes. “Tell her that you saw me and that… I’ll try to- No. Tell her I _will_ meet her at her room before the festival, alright? No matter what, I’ll go.”

“Uhm… sure.” Akko answered and took the bracelet, placing it carefully inside her pocket. “What are you going to do meanwhile?”

At her question, Croix turned to look at a small hole in the back wall, a fierce expression on her eyes.

“From here I can see into the Curiosity Store. All stolen items eventually end up there and when that thief comes by… I’ll be ready.”

“Oh. Alright.” Akko didn’t like her murderous expression at all, but at the same time thought it was kinda understandable. “But, uhm… you don’t have to do this alone, alright? Breaking your curse _and_ getting back the mask, I mean.” She shoot her a hesitant smile. “I’ll help you.”

“Thank you kid.” It felt weird to be called ‘kid’ by someone who barely reached her chest. “For now, just go with Chariot. I don’t want her to worry.”

“Alright.” She agreed reluctantly and left, promising herself to come back later to check on Croix again.

She arrived to the Inn later that afternoon, ready to give Chariot Croix’s bracelet and tell her she’d seen her and such, but… to her surprise, the front desk was completely empty. Huh. She decided to check on the kitchen but she also didn’t find her there, so she figured Chariot must have gone to run some errands or something, and decided to rest on her room meanwhile. She’d come back later to see if she was back yet.

So she headed upstairs, got to her bed and laid down on her stomach, trying to ignore the horrible headache she was developing for the lack of sleep, but to also avoid actually falling asleep, least she missed Chariot… and that’s when she heard them. Voices coming from the room next to hers.

“Tomorrow evening we’re leaving to Lonlon Ranch and that’s final!” That was definitely Finnelan’s voice. She’ recognize that evil screech anywhere. “Diana will take us in. She’s your best friend, isn’t she?”

“But Croix…” Chariot then answered quietly, her voice strangled like she’d been crying.

“That stupid girl! I wonder if she’s actually with Diana.” Finnelan replied, sounding even more upset than before. “If she is, I swear I’ll hit her in the head!”

“I don’t think she-”

“Oh, please don’t play dumb!” Finnelan interrupted whatever Chariot was going to say. “We both know Diana can’t manage the ranch on her own, and Croix has helped her a little too much already. Plus, the extra support from Madame Aroma would definitely benefit her.”

“Anne…”

“I’m just saying, no one would be better off with that sort of arrangement than Diana, and I really wouldn’t put it past Croix to prefer younger girls.” At this, Chariot finally broke down crying on pitiful sobs that made Akko’s heart clench… but it seemed Finnelan wasn’t done yet. “Oh, please don’t be sad. How happy could you possibly be marrying someone who runs away just before the wedding?”

“B-but… But in the letter… she said she’d come back…”

“Come back to what?!” She pretty much shrieked. “This town will be crushed by the moon the day after tomorrow! Forget about Croix, for now we should focus on surviving! Everything else will come later.”

“I-I… Y-yes... Miss Finnelan.” Chariot answered between sobs, but Finnelan seemed to be pleased by the answer as she then uttered a satisfied hum and left the room. Once Akko heard her go away and the sound of her steps disappeared, she quickly got up and went to the room next to hers, pretty much barging in.

“Urs- I mean, Chariot!” Akko called as she went to kneel in front of her. She was sitting on her bed, her head hanging, shoulders tensed and eyes bloodshot and full of tears, and yet… she seemed to light up upon seeing Akko.

“O-oh… you’re… b-back?” She asked, trying to wipe away her tears.

“Yeah, sorry about barging it.” She said sheepishly.

“Did you find her?” Chariot asked eagerly.

“Yep!” Akko answered as she took out the bracelet and gave it to Chariot. “She told me to give you this.”

“O-oh!” She exclaimed, taking it carefully between her hands, like she feared it’d disappear if she made any sudden movements. “It’s… her birthday present…”

“She also said she’d come back before the festival no matter what, so don’t worry okay? She’ll be here.” She shoot her an encouraging smile.

“I-I… thank you. Thank you so much!” She looked like she was in the verge of tears again, from happiness this time, as she clutched the bracelet against her chest. “Is she… aright?”

“Uhm…” Akko trailed off, not knowing what to say. “I wouldn’t say she’s completely _fine_ , but… she’s not in mortal danger or anything.”

“She asked you not to tell me, didn’t she?” Chariot sighed. “She always wants to solve everything on her own! Can you please tell her that, whatever the problem is, I’ll help her? Please?” Yep. Croix was right. Chariot undoubtedly wanted to help her. But Akko decided to give it a try and, if it wasn’t _that_ dangerous of a quest maybe she’d revert time and let Chariot help her instead next time. Just maybe. This Chariot didn’t seem to be as strong as her sensei, after all. _And_ she didn’t have magic.

“Uhm… sure.” She faked a smile.

“Thank you.” She repeated. “Meanwhile… I’ll wait for her. I’ve promised myself. I believe her.”

“Alright. I’ll go now.” Akko said, getting up. “Again, sorry for barging in heh. See you!”

“See you… Akko.”

Akko went back to Croix’s cabin and got in without even knocking. Thankfully it wasn’t locked! Because she intended to help Croix get back her mask and her… uhm… age? She intended to help Croix no matter what! Whether she liked it or not.

“Hey, I’m back!” She shouted as she barged in, only to immediately get a small hand covering her mouth.

“Shhh!” Croix urged her to quiet down… from her position standing on top of a box. It was a little difficult for Akko to take her seriously when she had to stand on something to even be at her same height.

“Uhhh… sorry?” She replied, smiling awkwardly.

“I’m trying to spy! And _you_ were being too loud!” She scream-whispered. “If the thief had got inside in that moment, he would have been scared away for sure!”

“Ugh, calm down! I said I was sorry.” Akko pouted and pushed her away. “And… do you really expect the thief to just… walk into your house and give you the mask?”

“No, you idiot.” Croix rolled her eyes. “Look.” She then pointed to a small hole on the wall next to where she was. Its height probably explained why Croix had already been standing on the box before Akko arrived. “This is from where I can look into the curiosity shop. I’m waiting for the thief to come here.”

“Ohhh!” Akko exclaimed, finally understanding. “And when he comes… what will you do?”

“If he brings the mask, I’ll just go and buy it once he’s gone. If not…” She sighed. “I guess I’ll follow him to his hideout.”

“Sounds like a plan, Small Croix!” Akko agreed.

“Don’t call me that!” She snarled, angry. But… she still looked quite cute nonetheless. Like an annoyed kitten.

“Sorry.” Akko wasn’t apologetic at all.

“Hmf. Just… go away, okay? I don’t need you.”

“That’s no way of treating the one who told your future wife to wait for you!”

“And I’m thankful for your help, but… can you please go now? You’ll only get in the way.”

“Oh, yeah? And what will you do if the mask is on top of a very, _very_ tall shelf?” She smirked.

“Fuck you.” Croix said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away with a cute angry pout.

In that moment, however, they heard voices coming from the Curiosity Shop, and quickly went to the hole on the wall to see what was going on.

A hooded man had entered the shop. He was tall and slim. Athletic would probably be a better description, actually, and he was completely dressed in black robes. When the hood came down, however, Akko realized he wasn’t a man at all. It was… Amanda. Except she was dressed like a man! Like when they had gone to Appleton.

“That’s him! That’s the thief!” Croix said, before quickly getting down on the box she’d been standing on and going to grab her coat and a few more items, no doubt intending on pursuing her.

“She is?” Akko couldn’t say she was surprised, after all, even in her world Amanda was kind of a kleptomaniac, but she had thought here she was the owner of a blacksmith shop. Yet… it was entirely possible for her to have another, less honest, night job.

“Yes! And I’m going after him!” Croix then proceeded to sprint across the cottage and to the front door, leaving Akko to try and catch up with her.

“Wait, Croix!” Akko quickly follow her, which was actually easier than expected thanks to Croix’s smaller size, and soon they were both bursting into the Curiosity Shop, searching for the thief… except there was no one there.

“He’s already left.” The owner said before they could actually ask. “He didn’t bring your mask, but you might be able to catch up with him if you hurry.”

Croix just nodded stiffly, turned around and pushed past Akko to go back out through the door, and again Akko had no option but to follow suit. She wasn’t letting Croix confront the thief on her own! Not with that size and no weapons!

“He’s probably going north.” Croix said as they ran. “He attacked me near the North Gate when he robbed me and disappeared soon after.”

“Let’s go then!” Akko answered with determination in her eyes, but as she saw Croix struggling to catch up with her, a mischievous smile appeared on her face. “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?”

“Sh-shut up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's day two! Hope you liked it, and please leave a comment/kudos if you did. That really does help me a lot! Thanks for reading, and see you all next week :)
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.


	4. Dawn of the third day – 24 hours remain.

**Dawn of the final day – 24 hours remain.**

They had been chasing the thief for hours. Just like Croix predicted, ‘Amanda’ had exited the town through the Northern Gate, and had promptly grabbed a horse to head to Ikana Valley. But even while riding Shooting Star, they had had some trouble keeping up with her; not only because Croix’s additional weight slowed them down, but because of the many Cursed Skulls, Explosive Dogs and Rock Monsters that intercepted them on their way.

But at the end here they were… in front of a Cave next to a steep cliff in Ikana Valley. Now, Akko had never been to this place before. It was… creepy, to say the least. She constantly had a feeling that someone –or _something_ \- was watching her. There was also an almost ominous silence, only broken by quiet sounds that were akin to pained laments. Except… there was no one else there. Man, this place was scary! And Akko really didn’t want to be here, more so when she’d had to leave Shooting Star behind so they could climb a rock wall, meaning a swift escape was out of the question.

But none of that mattered! They still had a thief to track! And speaking of her… here she was. In front of a cave which entrance was blocked by a large boulder. Could this be her hideout? But… Akko didn’t see any entrance…

“This is weird.” Croix said, probably thinking the same as they went to hide behind some rocks and continued to stare at Amanda. “Do you think she saw us?”

“I don’t know.” Akko frowned, wondering if she should have used an invisibility spell. On both of them though? That’d be extremely difficult, especially for her! Maybe Diana could have done it. Not the Ranch owner; the other Diana. _Her_ Diana.

However, there seemed to be no need, as the thief said something that they couldn’t quite hear from their hiding place, and the cave opened soon after, letting her pass before closing itself again.

“Damnit.” Croix cursed under her breath. “Looks like we’ll need some kind of password. Or maybe we can intercept her on her way out and make her speak?”

“We don’t know how long that’ll take!” Akko protested. “Not that I’m impatient or something, but… it doesn’t seem like we have much time left.” She said, looking up to the menacing moon, appearing even closer than before. As if on cue, an earthquake shook them just then and Croix frowned in concern.

“If I’m going to die… I want to do it with Chariot.” She said contemplatively, but also with fierce determination. “But how can I face her knowing I lost my wedding mask? And that I’m… _this_.” She gestured at her child-size body with distaste.

“Hey, don’t worry! We’ll get your mask in no time, okay?” Akko tried to cheer her up, wearing her characteristic bright smile.

“ _How?_ ” Croix eyed her skeptically.

“Just you watch!” Akko exclaimed before sprinting towards the cave entrance and pulling out her wand. “ _Open sesame!_ ” Instantly, the large boulder moved, leaving a small space wide enough for a person to pass though. “See?” Akko asked to Croix, who was still a few meters behind, staring at her with wide eyes and mouth open like a gaping fish.

“H-how… how did you…?”

“I told you I’m a witch, didn’t I?” She remarked. “Plus, even if I wasn’t, everyone knows that to open a cave full of stolen treasures all you need to say is ‘Open sesame'. Duh.”

“Right.” She gave her a weird look, but still pushed past her and into the cave. “Let’s just find this thief and be done with it.”

Croix then went inside the cave with Akko following shortly after. Unsurprisingly, the interior was rather large and filled to the brim with boxes and bags and such, all of them probably containing gold, jewelry, and other valuable goods that had been stolen throughout many years. It was also thankfully brightly lit thanks to the many lamps and candles strewn around.

“Okay, where’s that damn-” Croix was abruptly cut off when her right foot sank down a bit, apparently pressing down a previously concealed button. Then there was a sound of something flying towards them and, a second later, an arrow got stuck on the rocky wall just inches above Croix’s head. “W-what the…” She stuttered, looking at the deadly contraption.

“Heh. Good thing you’re short, huh?” Akko teased her.

“Y-yeah.” Croix was obviously still shaken up because of the whole ordeal, but she tried to cover it and feigned confidence. “You should be careful. There’s probably other traps here.”

“ _I_ should be careful?” Akko scoffed. “You’re the one who almost got an arrow to her face!”

“That was on purpose!”

But before Akko could protest, she saw the thief appear from somewhere behind Croix… and aiming a crossbow at them. Quickly, she tackled her small professor to the ground, barely avoiding being hit by the arrow. Then, she pulled out her wand and aimed a spell at the thief, hoping to stop her before she could reload her weapon.

“ _Ohr Yhon Deyantz!_ ” She yelled, instantly making ropes appear around Amanda, making it impossible for her to move, much less use her weapon.

“Hey!” The thief protested. “What do you think you’re doing? Get out my cave immediately!”

“I’m taking back what’s mine!” Croix yelled back, getting out from under Akko and pushing the girl away. “I know you stole my wedding mask!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Amanda answered, looking to the side and trying to appear nonchalant. But it was pretty obvious she was lying, which of course ended up enraging Croix even more, so it was no surprise that she soon started walking towards Amanda with angry steps.

“Wait, Croix…”

“Listen to me thief, you’re going to tell me where is my mask or I’ll make sure you are never going to have children, got it?” She snarled in such a menacing manner that Amanda gulped despite being way taller than her.

“Uhhh…” The thief trailed off.

“Please, just tell us where the mask is and I promise we’ll leave you unharmed and won’t touch your other possessions.” Akko interfered with what she hoped was a friendly smile.

“Speak for yourself.” Croix pretty much spat.

“Croix!” Akko chastised her, realizing she wasn’t going to make it any easier. Then, she turned towards the young criminal. “Listen, Amanda, I know you like stealing stuff and such, but Croix _really_ needs her mask since she’s getting married tomorrow, so… can you please give it to her? I’ll make sure she doesn’t harm you in any way.”

“Okay, first of all, Amanda is my twin sister. I’m Arthur.” He answered, much to Akko’s surprise. So… apparently in this universe Amanda’s male alter-ego was a completely different person who also happened to be a thief? While Amanda owned a blacksmith shop? It was plausible, considering Diana was actuallydivided into two herself; the older, mature Diana who carried lots of responsibilities, and the small child, Romani, who was just cute and innocent and marveled at everything.

But still… it could also be Amanda dressed as a boy…

Only one way to find out!

Swiftly, Akko stepped towards her prisoner and got one hand inside his shirt, searching for bindings or something indicating he had boobs, but… instead she felt some hairs on his bare chest, which had no softness at all; just muscle. She pulled her hand away as if it had caught fire.

“Y-you’re a boy!” Akko exclaimed, blushing brightly.

“What the fuck Akko!”

“That was sexual assault!” Arthur protested, also blushing but trying to dissimulate it.

“Please, as if I was into boys.” Akko rolled her eyes.

“ _All_ girls are into me.” He answered with a self-sufficient smile. “So I don’t blame you.”

“I’m seriously contemplating going along with Croix’s plan.” Akko deadpanned.

“No, wait!” He instantly panicked. “You can take your stupid mask. It’s not that valuable anyways.”

“Where. Is. It?” Croix snarled menacingly.

“I don’t know. Probably in the back?” He shrugged. “It’s not like I keep inventory, but what’s less dusty is newer.”

“Akko, keep an eye on him. I’ll be right back.” Croix said as she went off to search for the mask while Akko was left watching over the prisoner.

It couldn’t have taken longer than 15 minutes, but for Akko felt like an eternity as she was stuck having this dumb boy being overly flirty with her. Now, she’d like to say that she wasn’t even phased by his advances but that would’ve been a blatant lie to be honest. Even back in her world she’d always thought Amanda’s male alter ego was pretty handsome. But… she was more into cute blonde girls, and it was only thanks to this fact that she blushed just once during the whole exchange.

Now Arthur was just about to say yet another (no doubt) corny pickup line when Akko’s savior finally arrived carrying a leather bag with her.

“Okay, it’s all here, thankfully. Otherwise I would have committed a murder.” She said, looking pointedly at the teenage boy, who looked right back at her.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that little girls walking alone in the middle of the night are usually easy prey.”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE GIRL?” Croix yelled, almost launching herself to kick Arthur had Akko not stopped her.

“You gotta admit it’s a reasonable assumption to make.” She pointed out.

“Whose side are you on?!”

“Hey, can you not like, yell here?” Arthur quickly interrupted. “This canyon is said to be cursed and I wouldn’t like to have any malicious spirits coming after me.”

“Oh, I really hope they do.” Croix snarled.

“Croix, just… let’s go please. You have the mask, right? Let’s get back to Chariot.” Akko intervened.

“Fine.” She spat before turning to look at the thief. “I’m only letting you live because you sell good stuff to my friend and he asked me to spare you.”

“Pft please, you’d need a staircase just to stab me.” He laughed, and Akko had to literally drag Croix outside despite her protests.

“See you! And Akko? If you ever need anything, like a date, you know where to find me!”

Once Akko and Croix were sufficiently far away from the obnoxious brother of Amanda, Akko could finally breathe more calmly. That’s when she realized that Croix wasn’t only carrying a mask, but a pretty big leather bag. And she seemed to be looking intently at it too, lost in thought. To the point she almost tripped a couple of times.

“Hey, what you got there?” She couldn’t help asking.

“Oh?” Croix almost seemed startled when Akko spoke. Like she had forgotten she was there too. “Nothing, just…” She trailed off, seemingly contemplating something before addressing Akko again hesitantly. “You’re a witch, right?”

“Yep!”

“And… that staff you carry… it wouldn’t happen to be the legendary Claiomh Solais, right?”

“How do you…?”

“I’ve done my research.” She answered to her unfinished question. “Anyways. Before we go to Clock Town, I’d like to try something.”

“Is that really a good idea?” Akko raised an eyebrow. “We don’t exactly have much time.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want her to see me like this!” She pretty much yelled. “I just… I need to at least _try_.”

Akko sighed at this, but hey, she’d promised to help her, right? And most importantly, she needed to get her to Chariot one way or another before the moon fell.

“What do you want?” She ended up asking despite her better judgement.

“There’s a cemetery near here, where one of the composer brothers from the Royal Family of Ikana is supposed to be buried. Legend says he wrote a song so powerful it’d be able to cure any curse. Maybe even mine.”

“A song?” Not the craziest thing she’d heard, but definitely a bit of a surprise. Granted, the Claiomh Solais was able to turn into a flute in this universe, and with it she’d been able to slow down time, for example, or even teleport to certain locations. Most importantly, she was supposed to play a song to call four giants to stop the moon, once she’d rescued them all. But still… she hadn’t thought a song would be the solution to Croix’s problems.

“Yes. A song that is supposed to be written on his tomb.” She nodded solemnly. “But this song is guarded by evil spirits, so only one welding the light will be able to enter.” At this, she opened her bag and took out… a shield. But not just any shield; this one was circular and its surface was so smooth it reflected everything clearly. Like a mirror.

“Heh. Cool shield.” Akko said as Croix handed it to her.

“It’s not just a shield. It's made of a special kind of metal that came from outer space.” Croix explained. “It’s able to absorb light and retain it inside, only to release it where darkness is the densest.”

“You made it?” Akko would lie if she said she wasn’t impressed.

“I did.” She answered almost smugly. “I planned to come to the tomb before this was stolen from me. But even if I had come, I would have needed a witch with the legendary Claiomh Solais in order to play the song. Now I have all I need so… I thought we should give it a shot.”

“Well…” She didn’t want to go on her another crazy adventure, of course. Not when she was so tired. But… damn that shield was cool. She wanted to see it in action. And maybe if she helped Croix she’d get the shield as a gift, who knows? So she decided to go along. “Alright.”

“Good girl. Now let’s get going.”

Ikana cemetery was… well… ominous would probably be the best way to describe it. The tombstones were old and moldy, as if it had been many centuries since someone last took proper care of them. The trees were all dead and the grass was completely yellow and dried out, as if the earth itself had been corrupted by the malign energy of the place. Dozens of crows glided around or stayed perched at the tallest branches, looking at them with an intelligence almost supernatural, cawing as if they were trying to warn them to stay away.

Akko swallowed loudly. She’d seen her fair share of rare and disturbing things since she first set foot in this alternate dimension, and even before that! But… she’d never seen a place that made her want to run away as soon as she stepped inside.

The cemetery of a cursed land, where the remains of thousand and thousands of soldiers from a now-fallen kingdom were laid to rest.

It made sense the atmosphere felt so heavy here; this was a place of darkness. Both literally and figuratively, since clouds and mist blocked the sunlight, making the place gloomy even during the day.

All in all, Akko started to get agitated as soon as they crossed the entrance gate.

“Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be long.” Croix spoke, her voice sounding a little too loud for Akko’s liking. “If I remember correctly, the tomb we’re looking for is the third one to the right.”

“W-we just have to look at the inscription and play the song… right?” Akko asked with a hopeful smile.

“No, we need to break it open and go inside.”

“What?!” She shrieked. Being in the creepy cemetery was bad enough, but going inside a _tomb_? It seemed too reckless and suicidal, even for her.

“Yeah… I’m not thrilled about it either.” Croix made a grimace. “But that’s just how things are.”

“Are you sure there’s no other way to break your curse?” Akko asked, hesitating.

“Look kid, if you’re not up to the task, then just hand me the shield. I’ll manage.” Croix said, extending her open hand as if waiting for Akko to give her back the shield, but… there was no way she was backing away now! She’d promised to help and she’d be damned if she let Croix do this final quest on her own!

“No, no! I-I… let’s go.” Akko just hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

“Alright. Let me just blow this thing up.” Croix said as she casually got a bomb out of her bag, lightened it up and threw it towards the tomb. Instinctively, Akko hid behind the closest tree and Croix quickly did the same. Only until the earth had shaken under the force of the explosion did they finally come out.

“Okay, let’s go.” Croix smiled, satisfied when she saw the hole left in the ground where the tomb once was. And, without another word, she walked up to the open tomb, stepped foot inside and disappeared in the darkness.

Akko wasn’t as confident or quick, but the prospect of being alone in the cemetery was somehow even more unsettling than going inside a tomb with Croix, so she hurried her steps and followed her inside.

The hole led to a set of old moldy stairs that descended into a narrow hall, barely wide enough for a person to pass through. The steps were wet and slimy, making Akko cling to the stone walls to avoid slipping, and the smell was… not good. It reminded Akko of the moldy old vegetables that were sometimes left in the fridge for too long, but combined with an acidic, horrid odor.

Truly what she had imagined a tomb would smell like.

Thankfully, she soon arrived at the bottom of the stairs and found Croix waiting there, lantern in hand.

“Hurry up kid, we don’t have all day.” She whispered. “Oh, and… maybe you should have your sword and shield ready. Just in case.”

“F-for what?” Akko couldn’t help the slight trembling of her voice. “There’s no one in here… right?”

“No one alive.” Croix said cryptically and started walking, while Akko hurried up behind her as she pulled out her sword and shield.

The place was as dark as a moonless night, and they could only see a small circle of light surrounding Croix’s lamp, which coupled with the fact she couldn’t even see the walls anymore and, therefore, didn’t know how big this room was, only served to make her neck hairs stick out.

They hadn’t even taken ten steps when, suddenly, out of the deep darkness, they heard a blood-curling scream that made them both freeze in terror, just before the most horrid thing Akko had ever seen jumped towards them.

It was a mummified corpse; sickly grey skin adhering to the buldging bones; a rotting smell that was enough to make her stomach turn; and a wooden mask, all moldy and decrepit that only had two holes where the eyes would have been and another one a bit under… showing yellow rotting teeth.

She swung her sword at it out of pure instinct and, by some miracle, managed to stab its chest… only for it to then grab the sword and pull it, forcing Akko to either let go or risk getting closer to that creature.

Thankfully, her fighting instincts kicked in and she managed to kick the creature away while pulling her sword out of it’s body. Unfortunately… you can’t kill the undead. So that thing was still moving; trying to get closer again as it looked at her behind the mask's hollow eyes.

“Redeads.” Croix said under her breath. “I knew they’d be guarding the tomb.”

“Well… A warning would have been nice!” Akko said, watching the monster carefully and waiting for its next attack.

“I did warn you!”

“I meant a less cryptic warning!”

The monster attacked again and Akko managed to block the blow with her shield and push the monster away before swinging her sword at it one more time, making a gash on its stomach.

“Only the light can defeat them. There must be a source somewhere over here.” Croix explained.

“Don’t you have a lamp?!” Akko pointed out, not letting the Redead out of her sight.

“It’s not enough! We need a concentrated beam.” She paused, looking around the place. ‘I’ll try to search for something, but you need to keep it distracted meanwhile.” And with that, she ran off… taking the lamp with her.

“Hey no, wait-” But before Akko could panic too much about being left alone in the dark with a literal living corpse, she noticed… she wasn’t in the dark.

The shield! The shield Croix had given her had now it’s own faint glow. Of course! Hadn’t Croix said that it was able to absorb and emit light? Sure, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Redead, but at least it let Akko see what was in front of her.

But before Akko could rejoice too much in the fact… She felt something grabbing her clothes from behind. With a horrified scream, she then turned around and mashed it’s head with her shield, making it let go of her. Unsurprisingly, it _was_ another Redead.

Great. As if she needed any more nightmare fuel!

In that moment, yet another one of those beings, lunged at her from the dark, almost managing to bite the arm with which she was holding her shield, but thankfully she was quick enough and managed to back away and wound it with her sword.

Great. _Three_ Redeads. Just what she needed.

She backed away and pointed her shield at them, not wanting to let them out of her sight for even one second. It seemed like they really didn’t like the light from her shield, as they started making those terrifying screams that made Akko freeze with horror every time. But still, she managed to keep her ground, and swing her sword at them if they ever got too close.

Except… suddenly they all lunged at her at the same time. She managed to stab one of them in the stomach, but then that meant her sword got stock. Meanwhile, the one to her left tried to bite her, but she managed to block it with her shield and then kick it away somehow. And then… then she felt it. Sharp teeth sinking into her right shoulder, making her scream in pain.

She had to let go of her sword then and use all her strength to try and get away. But… that thing was persistent, and it grabbed her with it’s hands in a tight grip. Then the others grabbed her as well; one from behind and one from the left. They were surprisingly strong, considering they had no muscles, and without her sword there wasn’t much Akko could do.

Oh no. She was a dead woman. She briefly wondered if she would get revived when time reset after the moon fell in just a few hours, but… she _really_ didn’t want to find out.

Then… the monsters screamed and, one by one, they stepped away from her, letting her go with just a few bite marks, but still very much alive.

What happened? She looked around and saw… a source of light. As if a hole had appeared in the roof, but it only managed to lighten up a small portion of the room, in which Croix was standing. She was holding a mirror too; it was small, but she was moving it, alternating between the three living corpses that backed away as the light touched them.

Akko quickly went to stand next to Croix, knowing she’d be safe in the light.

“You’re welcome kiddo.” Croix said smugly.

“Took you long enough.” Akko mumbled angrily.

“Surprisingly enough, finding something that you don’t know how it looks like in a big dark room isn’t an easy task.” She retorted.

“Whatever.”

“Now, if you’d be so kind as to use that shield I gave you to kill those things, we can then proceed with our mission.”

“Ugh. Fine.” Akko hated taking orders from anyone, especially this smug little Croix, but she knew she didn’t have much choice and… she hated to admit it, but she _had_ just been saved by her. And so, she pointed the shield towards the Redeads; it was much bigger than Croix’s mirror, and the beam it produced also shone brighter, so as soon as it touched those monsters, they pretty much burst into green flames and turned into ashes.

And, finally, the danger was over. Or so Akko hoped. And… then she remembered her wounds.

“Oh no!” She gasped.

“What?” Croix raised an eyebrow at her.

“I was bitten by them! Will I turn into a zombie?!”

“A… zombie?” Croix stared at her like she had just grown another head. “What even is that?”

“A living corpse! You know, like those things.” She frantically exclaimed.

“Those are _Redeads_ , not zombies.” Croix tried to explain. “And, as far as I know, it’s not contagious.” Akko just stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate. “They’re either servants or soldiers that have been mummified for the purpose of guarding the tomb of their old master. Thankfully, that custom had been long since fell into decay.”

“They… wait, what?” Akko could just stare at the ashes in horror and disgust; not for the creatures, but for their former master. “That’s so much worse than them being actual zombies!”

“At lest you now know you won’t turn into one of them, as I just explained.”

“Yeah… I guess.”

“Now come on, there should be a door around here.”

Surely enough, the two started feeling the walls and promptly came across a door that thankfully wasn’t locked, and when they entered it there was another room, but no Redeads in sight. There were two torches though, which Croix quickly lightened up in order to be able to see what was inscribed at the big stone block in the middle of the room.

Akko tried to read it too, but the language wasn’t familiar to her. Thankfully, it seemed like Croix had no problem understanding.

“Here lies Flat, one of the composer brothers, who worked for the Royal family of Ikana.” Croix read. “He was betrayed and died for his brother’s sins; may his final melody, the Song of Storms, cleanse this cursed land and put the evil spirits to rest.”

“Wait… his name was Flat? What kind of name is that?” Akko scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

“Is that seriously all you got from it?” Croix deadpanned. “Just hurry up and play the song so we can be done with this.”

Again, Akko disliked the idea of taking orders from her, but she wasn’t going to argue when doing so meant staying even more time inside that old tomb. And so, she took out the Shiny Rod, which promptly turned into a Shiny Flute, and started playing the notes written on the tomb.

It wasn’t a hard melody by any means, though it went a little fast compared with the others she’d learned so far. It was uplifting and happy too, alternating between deep and high notes in a way that made it catchy. Akko decided she liked it.

And finally, she played the last note, and then watched Croix carefully, waiting for her to turn into her adult self. Except… no suck luck. Seconds passed and Croix remained the same bratty kid she’d been this whole time.

“Huh.” Akko looked at her and then at the music notes. “Maybe I made a mistake? Let me try again.”

And so she played the song once more, this time making sure she got every note right, yet… Croix still remained the exact same size as before. But Akko wasn’t convinced and tried again. And again. And again. And…

“Enough.” Croix interrupted her when she was just starting to play the first few notes again. “It’s useless.” Her shoulders tensed, and she looked down to the ground, fist clenched. She seemed to be feeling a mix of angry and despair.

“What do you mean? You said this song could lift any curse, right?!” Akko countered, unwilling to believe all their efforts had been in vain.

“It was a deduction I made based on some ancient texts, but even I knew it was a long shot.” Croix sighed before tensing up again, her whole body trembling like she was pouring all her energy in trying to stop herself from crying. “The moon is falling anyways, so everything was hopeless from the start.” She said with a broken voice. “So then why do I still have hope? Why do I still want to be with Chariot so desperately?”

“Croix…” Akko tried to put a hand on her shoulder but she pulled away from her. Honestly she should have expected such a reaction, but she still wanted to comfort her somehow.

“It’s useless. I’m sick. I have a horrible sickness called love and hope and fear… all this emotions, all these sorrows! I wished I could be healed somehow!”

Wait… heal? In that moment, Akko remembered one song she’d heard many times already. One of the first songs she’d learned. Huh. Maybe she _had_ been playing the wrong notes after all.

And so, she took her flute once again and started playing; not the song written on the tomb, but the Song of Healing. A much calmer and almost somber melody that seemed to have the magical effects of taking away any sorry, regret or worry that you had. Or even any curse.

Croix looked up when she heard the song, almost mesmerized by the notes. She stared at Akko for a few seconds, just blinking away tears and letting out some shivering sobs that slowly diminished, as if being carried away by the notes. Then she breathed in sharply and a flashing light appeared where she had been standing before a thud was heard and something fell to the ground.

When Akko was able to look again, she saw Croix standing there, her eyes staring at her from above.

“What- What happened?” The adult exclaimed.

“Turns out… you were investigating the wrong song.” Akko chuckled.

“I-I… I’m big now!” She then laughed in genuine happiness as she looked at her hands and arms and legs as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Yep! And you have the wedding mask too, so… maybe we should report to your fiancé now?” Akko smiled. Despite how obnoxious Croix had been in this reality or how… _evil_ she’d been in the other reality, Akko’s heart still fluttered at seeing her happy. After all, she did want to make everyone smile with the power of magic, and that definitely included Croix.

“Y-Yeah. Let’s go! I don’t want to be late.” Croix agreed before turning around and heading towards the exit.

Akko was about to follow her, but she noticed that which had fell to the ground when the curse broke; a mask with the face of a young Croix, which contained the magic that had once transformed her. She shrugged, picked it up and put it inside her satchel. Who knows? It might be useful later.

It thankfully didn’t take them too long to get back to town, yet it still was already dark when they finally got to see the characteristic stone doors in the wall that surrounded it. The moon seemed to be even closer than before too, practically touching the top of the clock tower. Yet Akko knew they still had a few more hours to spare. One hour actually. Maybe less.

Like it always happened this late in the night, the town was mostly empty, except for the guards protecting the entrance. The moon occupied most of the visible sky too, and it’s terrifying face promised to give Akko nightmares when she finally got some sleep.

They hurried, pretty much bursting into the now-vacant inn and rushing upstairs into Chariot’s room, with Croix leading the way. As soon as they stepped foot inside, Chariot looked up from her spot sitting at the bed. Her face morphed from being one of despair to turning into deep relief and happiness; her smile shining with the light of a thousand suns.

“Croix!” She exclaimed, getting up from the bed with a jump.

“I’m back, my love. I’m sorry if I made you wait.” Croix answered, standing a little bit straighter now, as if wanted to appear more composed than she really was.

“You’re just on time.” Chariot smiled before stepping towards her and grabbing her face between her hands. Then, she pulled her in for a kiss that Croix gladly reciprocated, grabbing the other woman by her waist and pulling her closer towards her.

It would have been apparent, even to the blindest person, that those two were truly happy for the first time in so long, now that they were finally together. And for Akko, that was all that mattered. All that pain and sweat and frustration had been worth it just to see her teachers reunited. It showed her that true joy can be found even in the darkest hours of despair.

But for now… she probably had to give them some space.

She was about to retreat when Chariot apparently noticed her intentions and pulled away from Croix, enough to speak with Akko.

“Wait!” She exclaimed. “You’ve helped us so much, and for that you have my deepest gratitude.”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Akko laughed sheepishly. “I’m just glad to help.”

“I don’t know if I could ever repay you, and still… I want to be selfish and ask one last favor of you.”

“Oh?” Akko tilted her head and noticed even Croix was confused at Chariot’s words.

“Can you be the witness for our wedding?”

“Wait what?” Well, she certainly hadn’t seen that coming.

“I thought our witness was going to be Diana.” Croix said, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion.

“Yes, but… she’s still at the ranch right now.” She tried to explain.

“But the ceremony won’t be held until… tomorrow.” Croix hesitated before saying that last word, as if realizing something. “Oh.” She just said as she stared into Chariot’s eyes for a few moments, the two of them seemingly coming into a silent agreement.

“Akko?” Now Croix also turned to look at her. “Can we ask this last favor of you?”

Akko alternated her gaze between the two, searching within their eyes. They were still smiling, clearly happy to be together, but… their eyes were sad and shone with unshed tears. It was a bittersweet moment when she finally understood what was going on.

“Sure.” Akko smiled and tried to pretend a painful knot hadn’t just formed on her throat.

The two lovers then turned to look at each other. Croix got her wedding mask out of her bag, while Chariot took her own from its previous spot in a mannequin next to her bed. Akko noticed that Croix’s mask reassembled a sun, while Chariot’s represented the moon. A normal moon. Not a creepy one with crazy eyes.

“Chariot.” Croix said as their eyes locked once more. “I… I promise here and now, in front of our witnesses and the Goddess of Time, that… t-that I will love you and protect you for as long as my heart beats. That no matter what might come next; if the Earth crumbles, the ocean freezes or the sky catches fire… even if the moon falls… I will be here for you.” Croix’s voice did tremble in some of the parts of her speech, but at least she managed to remain composed enough… unlike Chariot.

“C-Croix…” Chariot sniffed and wiped away a stray tear with her sleeve, fighting with her own sobs and ragged breaths for a chance to talk as well. “Croix I-I… ever since the day we met, I knew I wanted to be with you forever, no matter if as friends or lovers or… or wives. B-but… Croix… I always imagined us getting older together, sharing each and every moment of our lives in one way or another.” She paused, trying to catch her breath as yet more tears fell from her eyes. “And yet… even if this is our last day alive… even if all I can really share with you is my last breath… C-Croix, I feel so lucky I was able to meet you and be a part of your life.”

Now tears were also falling from Croix’s eyes, but it seemed she was still trying to keep herself together for Chariot’s sake. And so, their masks touched as if sharing a kiss themselves just as the new wives' lips also came together.

Their kiss was passionate and deep, but relatively short and, to certain point, chaste. Probably because Akko was there watching.

When they separated, Croix left one her arms around Chariot’s waist, as if trying to keep her close. Then, she turned to address Akko.

“You should seek shelter. We’ll be fine.” She said with a certainty that almost gave Akko chills. After all, they both knew that neither of them would be fine nor that there was no shelter in the world able to protect anyone from the falling moon.

Akko still nodded stiffly and spared Chariot one last glance before exiting the room and giving them some much needed privacy.

When she exited the inn, she noticed the moon was already pretty close, and the sky was red with the promise of a new dawn that would never come. The earth was trembling too, signaling the inevitable.

And so she, once more, witnessed with her own eyes how the moon crashed into the clock tower and then proceeded to consume the entire world in flames and destruction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last day, but it still isn't the last chapter; we still have the epilogue to go, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed it. See you next week!
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.


	5. Epilogue: Dawn of a new day

**Epilogue: Dawn of a new day.**

Akko relaxed for the first time in what felt like ages when she felt the warmth of the sun on her skin and its shining light blinded her, forcing her to squint in order to see.

Finally, the longest three days of her life were over and now… now it was finally a new day.

The terrifying moon was gone; the evil spirit that possessed it had been vanished and the four giants who had come to aid her stop the moon were gone. Finally, in Termina there was peace.

She had assumed that, after this whole ordeal was over she’d immediately be transported back to her own reality, but thankfully that wasn’t the case; there were still a couple of things she needed to see after all. A wedding she planned to attend.

Despite everything that happened, when Akko entered town there was a clearly festive spirit in the air, which was to be expected with the festival being that very same day. People wore masks in honor of the four deities (the giants) and there were lots of food stands in which Akko happily expended all the money she had.

But it was around midday when the main event started; the major’s daughter's wedding. That’s right. Croix was marrying Chariot after all, and Diana was their witness.

The ceremony was held in the middle of the main plaza at South Clock Town, and pretty much everyone attended; even Miss Finnelan who, as always, had a sour expression on her face. Though perhaps a little less bitter than usual.

Chariot was wearing a traditional white wedding dress, while Croix opted for a purple suit and a white shirt. They both looked astoundingly beautiful together; more so because this time there was no threat of impending doom and they seemed to be truly happy. No lingering fears or uncertainty.

Oh! And yes, Croix was adult sized now; Akko had made sure to play the song of healing for her _and_ also give her the wedding mask before stopping the moon for falling. When it came to Chariot she had simply assured her that Croix would come back before the festival, and that was enough to stop her from fleeing town.

Croix’s mask had been very useful for Akko’s quest too; it contained magic that allowed her to transform into a child, which let her squeeze into tiny spaces without giving up on her human figure (like transforming into a mouse did), and it also helped her when trying to not get noticed, as people tend to not pay much attention to a little girl just running around.

Aside from that, she had also rescued Diana’s little sister from a literal horde of aliens, as well as helped many other people (and monkeys!) That would have suffered a terrible fate had she not intervened.

So yeah… she was now absolutely exhausted, and she felt like she deserved to enjoy a good party while she could.

Chariot and Croix’s vows, taking place in front of the mayor, were only slightly different from what Akko had heard at the inn. Definitely less depressing, but equally as romantic, and this time there weren’t any tears involved. They also didn’t hold back during the kiss that symbolized their union, despite having more spectators this time, probably because they were too happy about being safe and alive to actually care if people thought they were being unchaste.

But people still cheered and congratulated then loudly and warmly. Especially Diana! Who, coincidentally, was the one who caught the bouquet once Chariot threw it.

Later, when the sun was going down and everyone started dancing at the rhythm of the live music, Diana actually found Akko in the crowd and recognized her as the stranger who had so kindly helped her little sister. Then she’d hugged her as thanks, not knowing she had already done that many times before.

But… as much as she was enjoying the party and the atmosphere and the… _company,_ Akko knew it was getting late and that she should probably get going back to where she came from. Back to her own world; her own Diana, her own Chariot, her own Croix and especially her own weird looking moon. And so, she excused herself from the party, mounted Shooting Star and took off to the forest, smiling in satisfaction at what she had accomplished in this weird, but charming in its own way, dimension.

**The end.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah, that was really the end. Hope you liked it, and please leave a review/fav/follow and check out my other fics if you want to support me. I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.


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